The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 559
The winds and persecutions of the sky.
The country gives me proof and precedent
Of Bedlam beggars, who, with roaring voices,
Strike in their numb'd and mortified bare arms
Pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary;
And with this horrible object, from low farms,
Poor pelting villages, sheep-cotes, and mills,
Sometime with lunatic bans, sometime with prayers,
Enforce their charity. Poor Turlygod! poor Tom!
That's something yet: Edgar I nothing am.
Exit
I heard them calling my name
and luckily found a hollow tree
to hide from my pursuers.
There is no port I can escape from
and no place that's not heavily guarded,
looking out to capture me. While I can stay free
I will look after myself; I plan
to take on the lowest and poorest appearance
that poverty ever inflicted on a man,
bringing him to the level of an animal; I'll smear my face with filth,
wear a blanket around my waist, tangle my hair into knots,
and naked I will confront
the winds and rain.
Around the country I have seen examples
of mad beggars, who, with roaring voices,
stick pins, spikes, nails, sprigs of rosemary,
into their numbed and senseless bare arms;
this horrible sight, in low farms,
tiny poor villages, sheep pens, and mills,
sometimes draws mad curses, sometimes prayers.
Poor Turlygod! Poor Tom!
I can be something as a beggar: I am no longer Edgar.
Enter KING LEAR, Fool, and Gentleman
KING LEAR
'Tis strange that they should so depart from home,
And not send back my messenger.
It's strange that they should leave their home,
and not answer my message.
Gentleman
As I learn'd,
The night before there was no purpose in them
Of this remove.
As far as I know
the night before they had no intention
of making this move.
KENT
Hail to thee, noble master!
Greetings, noble master!
KING LEAR
Ha!
Makest thou this shame thy pastime?
Ha!
Are you having a game with this shame?
KENT
No, my lord.
No, my lord.
Fool
Ha, ha! he wears cruel garters. Horses are tied
by the heads, dogs and bears by the neck, monkeys by
the loins, and men by the legs: when a man's
over-lusty at legs, then he wears wooden
nether-stocks.
Ha ha! He's wearing cruel garters. Horses are tied
by the head, dogs and bears by the neck, monkeys
round the waist, and men by the legs: when a man is
inclined to jump about they put wooden
stockings on him.
KING LEAR
What's he that hath so much thy place mistook
To set thee here?
Who is he who's shown your position so little respect
that he's put you here?
KENT
It is both he and she;
Your son and daughter.
Both a he and a she;
your son and your daughter.
KING LEAR
No.
No.
KENT
Yes.
Yes.
KING LEAR
No, I say.
No, I say.
KENT
I say, yea.
And I say yes.
KING LEAR
No, no, they would not.
No, no, they wouldn't.
KENT
Yes, they have.
Yes, they have.
KING LEAR
By Jupiter, I swear, no.
By Jupiter I swear they would not.
KENT
By Juno, I swear, ay.
By Juno I swear that they have.
KING LEAR
They durst not do 't;
They could not, would not do 't; 'tis worse than murder,
To do upon respect such violent outrage:
Resolve me, with all modest haste, which way
Thou mightst deserve, or they impose, this usage,
Coming from us.
They wouldn't dare;
they could not, would not do it; it's worse than murder,
to commit such a disrespectful act:
tell me, as quickly as you can, how
you came to deserve, or them to impose, this punishment,
when you came from me.
KENT
My lord, when at their home
I did commend your highness' letters to them,
Ere I was risen from the place that show'd
My duty kneeling, came there a reeking post,
Stew'd in his haste, half breathless, panting forth
From Goneril his mistress salutations;
Deliver'd letters, spite of intermission,
Which presently they read: on whose contents,
They summon'd up their meiny, straight took horse;
Commanded me to follow, and attend
The leisure of their answer; gave me cold looks:
And meeting here the other messenger,
Whose welcome, I perceived, had poison'd mine,--
Being the very fellow that of late
Display'd so saucily against your highness,--
Having more man than wit about me, drew:
He raised the house with loud and coward cries.
Your son and daughter found this trespass worth
The shame which here it suffers.
My lord, when I went to their home
I gave them your Highness' letters;
before I had got up from where I was kneeling
to show my respect, there came a stinking messenger,
boiling with haste, almost out of breath, gasping out
greetings from his mistress, Goneril;
he delivered letters, in spite of the fact that it interrupted me,
which they then read: having read them
they called up their servants, and got their horses ready;
they ordered me to follow and wait
for their answer; they gave me dirty looks:
and they met the other messenger here,
who I saw had managed to poison my welcome,
being the same fellow who recently
was so cheeky to your Highness;
having more courage than sense I drew my sword,
and he woke the household with loud cowardly cries.
Your son and daughter decided this offence
deserved the punishment you can see here.
Fool
Winter's not gone yet, if the wild-geese fly that way.
Fathers that wear rags
Do make their children blind;
But fathers that bear bags
Shall see their children kind.
Fortune, that arrant whore,
Ne'er turns the key to the poor.
But, for all this, thou shalt have as many dolours
for thy daughters as thou canst tell in a year.
Winter hasn't gone, if we see such migration.
Fathers that are poor
are ignored by their children;
but fathers that are rich
will be well treated by them.
Fortune, that flighty whore,
never opens the door to the poor.
But despite this you shall have as many dollars
from your daughters as you could count in a year.
KING LEAR
O, how this mother swells up
toward my heart!
Hysterica passio, down, thou climbing sorrow,
Thy element's below! Where is this daughter?
Oh, how this choking feeling clutches at my heart!
Get down you hysterical passion, you rising depression,
you should stay down below! Where is my daughter?
KENT
With the earl, sir, here within.
With the earl, sir, in there.
KING LEAR
Follow me not;
Stay here.
Exit
Don't follow me;
stay here.
Gentleman
Made you no more offence but what you speak of?
Did you do no other wrong except what you mentioned?
KENT
None.
How chance the king comes with so small a train?
Nothing.
Why has the King come with such a small entourage?
Fool
And thou hadst been set i' the stocks for that
question, thou hadst well deserved it.
If you were in the stocks for asking
that question, you would deserve it.
KENT
Why, fool?
Why, fool?
Fool
We'll set thee to school to an ant, to teach thee
there's no labouring i' the winter. All that follow
their noses are led by their eyes but blind men; and
there's not a nose among twenty but can smell him
that's stinking. Let go thy hold when a great wheel
runs down a hill, lest it break thy neck with
following it: but the great one that goes up the
hill, let him draw thee after. When a wise man
gives thee better counsel, give me mine again: I
would have none but knaves follow it, since a fool gives it.
That sir which serves and seeks for gain,
And follows but for form,
Will pack when it begins to rain,
And leave thee in the storm,
But I will tarry; the fool will stay,
And let the wise man fly:
The knave turns fool that runs away;
The fool no knave, perdy.
We should get you an ant as your teacher, to show you
that nothing can be gained in the winter.
Everyone can sense the King's in trouble.
When a great wheel runs out of control downhill
let go of it, in case you break your neck in the chase;
but when a great one is going upwards
let him pull you behind him;
if you get better advice from a wise man
then give me mine back: only knaves
should follow it, because it's given by a fool.
The ones who serve and look for profit,
and only follow rank,
will pack up when it begins to rain
and leave you in the storm.
But I will wait; the fool will stay,
and let the wise man run:
the knave who runs away is a fool;
and this fool is no treacherous knave.
KENT
Where learned you this, fool?
Where did you learn this, fool?
Fool
Not i' the stocks, fool.
Re-enter KING LEAR with GLOUCESTER
Not in the stocks, fool.
KING LEAR
Deny to speak with me? They are sick? they are weary?
They have travell'd all the night? Mere fetches;
The images of revolt and flying off.
Fetch me a better answer.
They won't speak with me? They are sick? They are tired?
They have been travelling all night? These are just excuses;
they show rebellion and evasion.
Get me a better answer.
GLOUCESTER
My dear lord,
You know the fiery quality of the duke;
How unremoveable and fix'd he is
In his own course.
My dear lord,
you know how fiery the Duke is;
you know how impossible it is
to get him to deviate from his plans.
KING LEAR
Vengeance! plague! death! confusion!
Fiery? what quality? Why, Gloucester, Gloucester,
I'ld speak with the Duke of Cornwall and his wife.
Revenge! Plague! Death! Confusion!
Fiery? What's that? Why, Gloucester, Gloucester,
I will speak with the Duke of Cornwall and his wife.
GLOUCESTER
Well, my good lord, I have inform'd them so.
Well my good lord, that's what I have told them.
KING LEAR
Inform'd them! Dost thou understand me, man?
Told them! Do you understand what I've said, man?
GLOUCESTER
Ay, my good lord.
Yes, my good lord.
KING LEAR
The king would speak with Cornwall; the dear father
Would with his daughter speak, commands her service:
Are they inform'd of this? My breath and blood!
Fiery? the fiery duke? Tell the hot duke that--
No, but not yet: may be he is not well:
Infirmity doth still neglect all office
Whereto our health is bound; we are not ourselves
When nature, being oppress'd, commands the mind
To suffer with the body: I'll forbear;
And am fall'n out with my more headier will,
To take the indisposed and sickly fit
For the sound man. Death on my state! wherefore
Looking on KENT
Should he sit here? This act persuades me
That this remotion of the duke and her
Is practise only. Give me my servant forth.
Go tell the duke and 's wife I'ld speak with them,
Now, presently: bid them come forth and hear me,
Or at their chamber-door I'll beat the drum
Till it cry sleep to death.
The King wants to speak with Cornwall; the dear father
wants to speak with his daughter, and orders her to obey:
have they been told this? By my breath and blood!
Fiery? The fiery Duke? Tell the hot Duke that–
no, not yet: maybe he really is not well:
when we are ill we forget all the duties
for which we need our health; we are not ourselves
when nature, under pressure, orders the mind
to suffer with the body: I'll hold back;
and I will control my temper
rather than think that the ill man
is representative of the healthy one.
Should he be sitting here? This act makes me think
that the aloofness of the Duke and her
is just a cover. Bring my servant here.
Go until the Duke and his wife that I want to speak to them,
Right now: tell them to come out and listen to me,
or I will play the drums on their bedroom door
until all sleep is impossible.
GLOUCESTER
I would have all well betwixt you.
Exit
I would like everything to be well between you.
KING LEAR
O me, my heart, my rising heart! but, down!
Oh Lord, my heart, my swelling heart! Calm down!
Fool
Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the eels
when she put 'em i' the paste alive; she knapped 'em
o' the coxcombs with a stick, and cried 'Down,
wantons, down!' 'Twas her brother that, in pure
kindness to his horse, buttered his hay.
Enter CORNWALL, REGAN, GLOUCESTER, and Servants
Shout at it, nuncle, like the Cockney did to the eels
when she put them in the pie still
alive; she bashed them
over the head with a stick, shouting “down,
you playful creatures, down!" However it was her brother who,
just to be kind to his horse, put grease on his hay.
KING LEAR
Good morrow to you both.
Good day to you both.
CORNWALL
Hail to your grace!
KENT is set at liberty
Greetings to your Grace!
REGAN
I am glad to see your highness.
I'm glad to see your Highness.
KING LEAR
Regan, I think you are; I know what reason
I have to think so: if thou shouldst not be glad,
I would divorce me from thy mother's tomb,
Sepulchring an adultress.
To KENT
O, are you free?
Some other time for that. Beloved Regan,
Thy sister's naught: O Regan, she hath tied
Sharp-tooth'd unkindness, like a vulture, here:
Points to his heart
I can scarce speak to thee; thou'lt not believe
With how depraved a quality--O Regan!
Regan, I believe you are; I'll tell you why
I think so: if you weren't glad,
I would divorce your dead mother
as it would mean she was an adulteress.
Oh, are you free?
We'll deal with that some other time. Beloved Regan,
your sister is nothing: oh Regan, she has stabbed
me with her unkindness, like a vulture, here:
I can hardly bring myself to talk about it; you will not believe